Sacked Holocaust memorial host speaks out

The Master of Ceremonies fired from Ireland’s Holocaust Remembrance Day after its organiser, the Holocaust Education Trust Ireland (HETI), banned mention of Israel at the event, has called on the Trust to explain its decision.

Yanky Fachler, also a well-known broadcaster in Ireland, was told by trustees “not to refer to the Jewish State or the State of Israel during any part of the ceremony.”

He initially complied, but after making his objections known, he received a letter from HETI chairman Peter Cassells telling he was no longer required as an MC.

Following outrage within the Jewish community and condemnation from Irish equalities minister Alan Shatter, HETI reversed the decision.

Cassels issued a statement in which he “reassured the Jewish community in Ireland that Israel will be referred to in Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations.”

Fachler, however, remains critical. Speaking this week, he pointed out that although it reversed the policy, HETI has failed explain how it arrived at its decision in the first place.

“They came to an absolutely unacceptable decision, and someone must be held accountable for it. We need to know how they got to this decision,” he said.

Fachler added that he was not seeking to be reinstated: “In the unlikely event that I was to be asked, I would not be prepared to do it because I don’t think anything has changed at HETI.”

The Board of Deputies issued a statement, calling it “totally inappropriate for the commemoration of the greatest crime against the Jewish people to have an edict prohibiting mention of the Jewish state.”